Celebrating life at Barchester

'Namaste everyone'

Our residents enjoyed a peaceful yoga session with Sarah today, helping everyone feel calm, stretched, and refreshed. A perfect way to relax and unwind.

We had a lovely visit from Isla the PAT dog from Therapy Dogs Nationwide.

The concept of Therapy Dogs was originally devised by Lesley Scott-Ordish back in 1976 when she discovered the trauma experienced by the elderly if forced to give up a much-loved pet upon going into residential care.

Isla and her wonderful volunteer handler brought so much joy, cuddles, and wagging tails to everyone at Glebefields care home. 

Our residents enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with freshly baked scones, lashings of cream and jam, and plenty of tea to go around. A perfect treat and a lovely way to spend time together!

A lovely visit to Cotefield Nurseries today! 

Residents enjoyed seeing beautiful British flowers and had some tasty refreshments too, it was such a peaceful and refreshing day out in the summer sun!

Our residents had a great time during their exercise session with Alfie from G-Fitness. His energy and encouragement always get everyone moving and smiling! Staying active is so important — and fun too, especially with Alfie leading the way!

Our residents enjoyed a relaxing afternoon creating beautiful flower arrangements. It was a lovely way to spend time together and brighten up the home with fresh, colourful blooms.

Our Deputy Manager, Lynsey has received a prestigious 20-Year Service Award in celebration of working at Barchester Healthcare for 20 years.

Lynsey Clark, now Deputy Manager, started at Barchester in July 2005 and has worked with residents and their relatives to ensure that their needs have been met over the years. 
 

On 3rd July, staff and residents dusted off their dancing shoes for the launch of their new Dementia Disco initiative.

Knowing how much their residents love to dance, the activities team at Cookridge Court care home came up with the genius idea of a dementia-friendly disco.  The team invited along members of the local community and friends of the home to the first official dementia-friendly disco, which went down an absolute storm.

Our home is inviting members of the local community to join them at their weekly book club, hosted by local volunteer Glen.

The sessions take place every Monday at 10:30am, offering a warm and welcoming space for book lovers to come together, share their thoughts, and enjoy lively discussions over a cup of tea and a slice of cake, courtesy of the home’s hospitality team.

ANOTHER WONDERFUL REVIEW THIS WEEK!

We are on a roll, so the saying goes.... receiving another glowing review in a matter of days from a lovely couple that stayed with us for some respite.

They wanted to take a break from having to worry about their care needs at home and their family suggested they stay with us here for a couple of weeks. We loved having them and they are rebooking another respite stay with us very soon.

We offer short stay and respite stays for anyone in need of a break or maybe their carers need some well earned holiday time off. Either way we can help and happy to do so.
 

This morning some of the residents enjoyed a trip out to Ripon spa gardens where we enjoyed a hot drink and picnic in the gardens.

We then had a game of crazy golf and then had a walk round the gardens looking at the bandstand that has been decorated for Alice in wonderland day. A lovely morning was had by all.

PEN PALS WITH WORPLESDON SCHOOL

In the world of iPhones, tablets and social media platforms the art of letter writing is sadly less and less..... NOT for our residents though and for Worplesdon Primary School who are bridging the generation gap by becoming pen pals. 

It's a wonderful feeling to receive a letter and enjoy the words that someone has taken time to share, our residents have absolutely loved these moments. The theme has been 'earliest memories' and so both the pupils and our residents can share their own earliest memories over these precious letters.
 

We ventured out to enjoy our very first Exmouth Beach Wheelchairs adventure. The weather was perfect for a picnic by the sea. We got to feel the sand and the sea on our feet and take in the sea air.
For those struggling with mobility, this is a wonderful opportunity and thank you so much to the Exmouth Beach Wheelchairs for their brilliant service.

Another lovely outing yesterday – a truly special moment for one of our residents, Brian, who was delighted to buy a beautiful potted flower plant for his beloved daughters. For us, it may have been just another day, but for Brian, it felt deeply meaningful and fulfilling.

Later in the afternoon, we enjoyed another cheerful trip to Tesco, where our lovely ladies had a wonderful time browsing clothes and picking out thoughtful gifts for friends and family. It was a truly joyful day filled with smiles and laughter – our residents had an absolutely lovely time.

There was a hive of activity at the home yesterday as the residents were treated to a virtual talk by beekeeper Julia Young.  

Based in Cheshire, Julia has been a beekeeper for 14 years and has around 10 hives.  The residents were fascinated as Julia gave an understanding of the daily life of bees inside her hives.  Her talk took the residents on a whirlwind tour of the life and times of a honeybee and a hobby beekeeper and covered topics such as communication in the bee hive, the pecking order – who does what and even the darker side of the bee world with tales of regicide, sex and violence!!

This was a different experience for the residents but one that they thoroughly enjoyed and will never forget.

Wonderful singer Aimee treated us to a wonderful afternoon of music and dancing to timeless classics from across the decades with some extra-special wartime songs to mark D-Day and honour the occasion. 

Aimee’s infectious energy and beautiful voice brought so much joy to our home.  

Our residents were delighted to get out on the Solent on Sunday morning in the sunshine.  The clouds had parted, and the wonderful charity run boat, the Alison MacGregor, set sail!  The residents at the Cedars had a fantastic time taking in the sights of Southampton’s busy shipping lanes and then into the calm waters with beautiful swans, black and white, along the river and up to the mill at BItterne. 

One resident wanted to be the skipper and, with the help of the staff on board, she was able to steer the boat calmly back to the boat’s home in Hythe Marina. 

Rivermead is overjoyed when Wathcourt preschool children come in and visit us. This time we decided to take the games into the garden and enjoy the weather. We had games of large connect4, ring toss, crafting at the table and some lovely chattering with all the residents.

 Our residents really benefit from this intergenerational activity. They reminisce and have lovely fond memories and form meaningful friendships with the children.  

Our residents really enjoy being hands on with the activities here at Rivermead. We have been doing a spot of baking on our memory lane community. Everyone got involved, from measuring the ingredients out, then mixing them up in the bowl. 

Then we had to wait for the crucial part of them cooking in the oven before we could taste them! All the residents enjoyed testing the buns to make they were delicious of course!  

Great day out meeting the Owls at Knockhatch Adventure Park. Such beautiful birds of prey, the residents loved being so close to these rarely seen amazing animals. 

Yesterday we wrapped up our busy month of birthdays with the lovely June's 90th birthday! We had lot's of fun singing and dancing to live music from the fantastic Anouk who really helped get us all in to the party spirit!

Rivermead have been making the most of the sunny weather recently, and we decided to have a lovely walk into Norton town. We started by walking to the duck pond where we fed some swans and ducks, and spent some time chatting and admiring the peace and quiet, then we were greeted by a lovely little fury friend who enjoyed some petting from our residents. 

Then we walked up to the local pub, The Derwent Arms, for a lovely drink and a spot of lunch. The residents thoroughly enjoyed their day out, thanking the whole day for being able to come out of the home. 

It has been all about the men in our home, the ones who brighten our days with their smiles and conversations. We would love to wish every dad, father figure, granddad and great-granddad a Happy Father’s Day. 

We also remember those Dads who are no longer with us, but are always in our hearts. We celebrated Father's Day at Newlands with a social afternoon, live entertainment and tasty treats. We were entertained by one of our residents, Alan’s son. Alan could not hide his excitement and joy, he had been waiting for this day and he expressed his joy.

We’re excited to announce that our brand-new digital clinical system, Enable, is officially live! This is a big step forward for our care home – helping us deliver even better, more efficient, and more personalised care for our wonderful residents. 

Our amazing staff have been gearing up for this moment with training, teamwork, and a lot of excitement. Enable will make care planning smoother, documentation smarter, and communication stronger – all while keeping residents’ wellbeing at the heart of everything we do. Everyone is excited and curious. 

We had a great time welcoming our cyclists to our home for their last stop of day 1. Our residents, staff, our community friends and the Mayor of Workington, Cllr David Farrar were on hand to welcome this amazing team. What better way to do so other than to throw a BBQ party with live entertainment? 

Our residents had an opportunity to chat and spend time with our cyclists and our guest (The Mayor of Workington, Cllr David Farrar, with his consort Cllr Allan Hodgson). This really brings the spirit of the community together. A lovely time was had by all.

We love seeing our little friends every week for some fun-filled activities. The residents' faces always light up when the children arrive. Our beautiful garden is a great environment for our residents and the children from our local nursery to enjoy a variety of amazing outdoor activities. A favourite is the giant games and bubble machine.

 Residents have made such special bonds with the children who visit regularly, so we were delighted to invite them back for our annual picnics. These are held over two weeks when the children spend a couple of hours over lunchtime at South Grange playing games, chatting away and enjoying a delicious picnic with the residents. We laughed, posed for photos, sang songs, made lots of lovely memories and shared some tasty homemade biscuits that the children made for us and, most of all, had a wonderful time.

Last week, in celebration of Carers Week, we took a moment to give back to the incredible individuals who give so much every single day. 
We were truly privileged to enjoy some amazing beauty treatments, lovingly provided by our talented beautician, Kate. 

From relaxing massages and rejuvenating facials to pampering nail treatments — it was a day full of smiles, self-care, and well-deserved Tender Loving Care. "The dedication and empathy shown by our carers at Waterside Court is central to the quality of care we deliver — every day, not just during Carers Week." Thank you for all that you do. You are truly appreciated.  

Our community at Waterside Court was recently treated to a lovely visit from Jean, a gentle donkey from Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary. Her calm and affectionate presence quickly captured the hearts of residents and staff alike, creating moments of pure joy and comfort. 

The visit held special meaning for one of our residents, Bill, who recognised members of the sanctuary team and fondly reminisced about past connections. It was a beautiful reminder of the lasting impact of shared experiences and companionship.

Animal therapy plays an important role in our commitment to enhancing residents’ well-being. Jean’s visit is just one example of how these special encounters bring smiles, spark memories, and create meaningful connections within our home.

"I like that one; how do you make it?" enquired Marlene.

Simon proceeded to explain to Marlene how he and his wife harvest, extract the lavender oil and blend it with harmonising complimentary oils plus the benefits of each.

Our resident family were certainly engrossed and kept Simon on his toes with questions. Simon's wife, Charlotte, is the brains behind the oils, where Simon's niche is meeting, greeting and marketing their home-grown products.

Cosy our Hostess could recommend the cleanser toner and Mike procured a cheeky kiss from his wife after trying the beard oil.